* Dollar steady, Wall Street seen opening lower * French strikes waning, unions seeking talks * Coming up: API oil data, Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. EDT NEW YORK, Oct 26 (Reuters) - U.S. crude oil futures declined slightly on Tuesday as the dollar steadied and Wall Street looked set to open lower. Oil investors, as with their counterparts in other markets, are weighing expectations that next week's meeting of the U.S. Federal Reserve will result in more government asset-buying to bolster economic recovery. Investors are worried that the market consensus for a big burst of quantitative easing may be overdone, analysts said. Oil markets are bracing for weekly U.S. industry and government petroleum inventory data due later on Tuesday and Wednesday morning, respectively. On Monday, U.S. crude oil futures ended 1 percent higher, gaining for a second straight session, as the dollar weakened and equities rose, and on comments from Greece's central bank that the worst was over for Greek banks. FUNDAMENTALS * On the New York Mercantile Exchange at 8:10 a.m. EDT (1210 GMT), December crude CLZ0 was down 24 cents, or 0.29 percent, at $82.28 a barrel, trading from $81.84 to $82.69. * U.S. crude oil stockpiles rose 1.4 million barrels last week, a Reuters poll showed ahead of weekly inventory reports. Distillate stocks fell 1.9 million barrels and gasoline supplies rose 500,000 barrels, the poll showed. [EIA/S] * Oil refinery strikes in France against an unpopular pension reform were losing steam, with walkouts at several plants and unions sounding keener on negotiations with employers rather than continuing the showdown. [ID:LDE69P00O] * Workers allowed fuel deliveries from the Ineos Lavera refinery on Tuesday. The move put the number of refineries still blocked in protest at the government's planned pension reforms, at seven out of 12. [ID:nWEA4437] MARKETS NEWS * The dollar steadied, with investors wary of pushing it lower due to uncertainty about what easing measures the Federal Reserve may take next week, while UK economic growth figures lifted sterling. [ID:nLDE69P14T] * U.S. stock index futures dipped, a day after the market hit a five-and-a-half-month high due partly to expectations of further Fed stimulus. Investors were awaiting data on consumer confidence and home prices. [.N] * Copper prices fell as the dollar rose, retreating from a 27-month peak hit earlier in the session and tracking choppy currency trading ahead of a key Federal Reserve meeting next week. [ID:nLDE69P10Y] * Gold edged lower in Europe as the dollar firmed a touch, but held near $1,340 an ounce as investors awaited clues from U.S. data due this week on the prospect of further monetary easing in the United States. [ID:nLDE69P0UL] UPCOMING DATA/EVENTS * The Conference Board releases October consumer confidence data at 10 a.m. EDT (1400 GMT). Economists in a Reuters survey expect a reading of 49.2 compared with 48.5 in September. 8:13 LAST NET PCT LOW HIGH CURRENT DAY AGO CHNG CHNG VOL VOL CLc1 82.21 -0.31 -0.4% 81.84 82.69 26,907 256,382 CLc2 82.87 -0.34 -0.4% 82.50 83.34 5,650 48,814 LCOc1 83.39 -0.15 -0.2% 82.96 83.83 49,560 199,144 RBc1 2.0694 -0.0079 -0.4% 2.0605 2.0784 810 30,379 RBc2 2.0602 -0.0071 -0.3% 2.0501 2.0691 2,571 40,711 HOc1 2.2518 -0.0032 -0.1% 2.2407 2.2615 702 17,420 HOc2 2.2705 -0.0036 -0.2% 2.2600 2.2810 2,605 37,637 * NYMEX crude oil for December CLc1 fell 31 cents to $82.21 a barrel by 8:13 a.m. in volume of 26,907 lots. (Reporting by Gene Ramos; Editing by Dale Hudson)

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